Great River School J-Term 2016
The time has come to begin our pre-production work for this winter’s J-term
immersive theatre project. In the middle of winter we will steep ourselves in the
ideals and magic of summer while we bring to life William Shakespeare’s Midsummer
Night’s Dream.
Initial auditions on November 23rd-24th-25th for a role in our production. All students will participate in pre-production auditions -
a small as a moment on stage, or leading part.
Anni Amberg, a local actress and theater professional, will serve as our Production Manager and Artistic Director for the production. (See more about Ms. Amberg: http://www.anniacts.com/about)
Questions regarding JTerm and auditions can be directed to Anni at: J.Term.Director@greatriverschool.org
What to Prepare:
1. One-minute Shakespearian monologue (any monologue - you choose!)
-Step one, memorize the lines so you can say them lots of different ways (Acting cannot truly begin until you know your lines)
-Find out why your character is speaking. What do they want, how badly do they want it. What have they done in the play before this speech, and what will they do after.
2. A skill to share: Could be a dance or gymnastics move, a magic trick, a joke to tell. A few bars of a song to play on an instrument if you play one, or sing if you enjoy singing.
3. What role you would like in the J-Term production
(Major speaking role, Minor speaking role, Theater tech, or Managerial)
Bring with you:
Initial auditions on November 23rd-24th-25th for a role in our production. All students will participate in pre-production auditions -
a small as a moment on stage, or leading part.
Anni Amberg, a local actress and theater professional, will serve as our Production Manager and Artistic Director for the production. (See more about Ms. Amberg: http://www.anniacts.com/about)
Questions regarding JTerm and auditions can be directed to Anni at: J.Term.Director@greatriverschool.org
What to Prepare:
1. One-minute Shakespearian monologue (any monologue - you choose!)
-Step one, memorize the lines so you can say them lots of different ways (Acting cannot truly begin until you know your lines)
-Find out why your character is speaking. What do they want, how badly do they want it. What have they done in the play before this speech, and what will they do after.
2. A skill to share: Could be a dance or gymnastics move, a magic trick, a joke to tell. A few bars of a song to play on an instrument if you play one, or sing if you enjoy singing.
3. What role you would like in the J-Term production
(Major speaking role, Minor speaking role, Theater tech, or Managerial)
Bring with you:
-
Apicturethatlookslikeyou,schoolpictureoranypicture-5x7or8x10.
Does not have to be professional.
-
Youauditionsheetalreadyfilledout
Note to families and students to prepare:
Practicing auditioning is a valuable skill in the world of professional theatre. It is similar to art of practicing an interview. It is a challenge, even for the professional actor. Like any skill, practicing is essential. It is quite possible that after this production your student may fall in love with this art form and seek further performance opportunities in the twin cities (where the amount of theatre is second only to New York City). Auditioning, and earning a role in this way will help to prepare them for future work, and for the present, to realize that while J-Term is a fun and joyful, it is also professional and we trust them to rise to the challenge.
Tips on picking a monologue:
-Pick a Shakespearian play you know- Perhaps you have seen a play, movie, or read the text. If you don’t know the play, you cannot act the part.
-Pick a character you can relate to. For our purposes, this mustn’t be a character of your same age, but they should be someone with whom you can empathize.
-Pick a monologue you like. If it is longer than one minute, select only a portion of it. Practice. Practice again. Perform for your parents, while your doing chores, for your siblings, or your fish. Know that text in and out. You will likely be asked to do it multiple times--making small adjustments in emotion or intent.
-You want to express the true emotion of the character in that moment, and you want your auditioners to feel something. Take the risk--invest yourself in preparation and in performance.
Many good titles are available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or in your local library. Some favorite versions include:
Love Labours Lost-2000 with Kenneth Branagh
Much Ado About Nothing-1993 with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson Hamlet-1996 with Laurence Olivier
Romeo and Juliet-1996, with Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio
Practicing auditioning is a valuable skill in the world of professional theatre. It is similar to art of practicing an interview. It is a challenge, even for the professional actor. Like any skill, practicing is essential. It is quite possible that after this production your student may fall in love with this art form and seek further performance opportunities in the twin cities (where the amount of theatre is second only to New York City). Auditioning, and earning a role in this way will help to prepare them for future work, and for the present, to realize that while J-Term is a fun and joyful, it is also professional and we trust them to rise to the challenge.
Tips on picking a monologue:
-Pick a Shakespearian play you know- Perhaps you have seen a play, movie, or read the text. If you don’t know the play, you cannot act the part.
-Pick a character you can relate to. For our purposes, this mustn’t be a character of your same age, but they should be someone with whom you can empathize.
-Pick a monologue you like. If it is longer than one minute, select only a portion of it. Practice. Practice again. Perform for your parents, while your doing chores, for your siblings, or your fish. Know that text in and out. You will likely be asked to do it multiple times--making small adjustments in emotion or intent.
-You want to express the true emotion of the character in that moment, and you want your auditioners to feel something. Take the risk--invest yourself in preparation and in performance.
Many good titles are available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or in your local library. Some favorite versions include:
Love Labours Lost-2000 with Kenneth Branagh
Much Ado About Nothing-1993 with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson Hamlet-1996 with Laurence Olivier
Romeo and Juliet-1996, with Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio